The New Contracting Model for Supporting People in Birmingham

Martin Wainwright

Mark Sawyer

Richard Smythe

Luke Canvin OCC

Context/Overview – SP Vision

Let’s consider the journey travelled so far:

Pre 2003 identification of services and pricing the pot

Post 2003 2006 reviewing services, writing the strategy and being inspected

2007 Review of strategy, needs analysis and vision development day

2008 Getting ready for commissioning, undertaking strategic reviews, the PET

2009/10 Completion of the procurement project, new QAF, implementation of new contract model, revised payment and performance monitoring systems

2010/11 SP part of ABG with ring fence removed, strategic commissioning function part of mainstream partner stakeholder business

The Strategic Direction

“The process of transition between now and the award of contracts will be difficult and challenging and every effort has been made to ensure that the processes undertaken will withstand scrutiny and ensure transparency and equity to all parties”.

The strategic direction of Birmingham Supporting People can be summarised thus.

● Greater flexibility to respond to changing client needs and the emergence of new priorities;

● Preventative services demonstrating their important contribution towards reducing or slowing down increases in homelessness, re-offending or admission to institutional care

● Equality of access including tenure, location, gender, ethnicity or culture, physical or mental capability and financial capacity;

The Strategic Direction (continued)

● Planned pathways into and out of service provision for service users and help to source the most appropriate accommodation to achieve optimum levels of long-term independence.

● Identifying new and emerging priority client groups and developing new models of service provision in consultation with those groups

● Ensuring that a future contracting environment is based on a well understood set of objectives and outcome measures which encourage continuous improvement and track the “distance travelled” by service users

● Cross border working where economies of scale can be identified, particularly for mobile groups where there are clear gaps in provision;

● Partnership working and joint commissioning where appropriate.

The Commissioning Body Requirements

• The Commissioning Body (CB) had four areas where it required contracts to be enhanced:

• Outcomes-based delivery

• Implementation of the new CLG Quality Assessment Framework (QAF)

• Improved performance information gathering

• A revised payments scheme with tighter control of disbursement of funds

Payments - The Previous Situation

• Contracts were based on Units (People)

• Payments for the service were made to providers :

Four-weekly, in advance (Block Contract) Four-weekly, in advance, but the amount may vary depending on provider performance (Subsidy Contract)

Payments – New Arrangements

● The Contracts will define the maximum annual contract value – the number of hours multiplied by the hourly rate (the price for a support hour)

● The council will pay 80% of the contract value in arrears, every 28 days.

● In order to claim the balance in excess of 80%, the provider will need to send the council an invoice detailing the actual number of support hours provided during the month

Payments – New Arrangements

● If less than 80% of support was provided in a particular month, the overpayment will be deducted from the next payment

● Payment of any balance over 80% will be suspended if the quarterly performance management information has not been provided

● Spot checks will be undertaken to validate invoices

SP Performance Monitoring

Process

Quarterly Monitoring

targets

Quarterly PI Workbook Local

Indicators

Quarterly PI Workbook National

Indicators

Enhanced Monitoring

Requirements

Quarterly JCHR submissions

SPI 1Availability

SPI 2Utilisation

SPI 3Staffing

SPI 4Throughput

KPI 1Establish

Independance

KPI 2aMove on Planned

Client Record Forms

Long Term Outcomes

Short Term Outcomes

Diversity Monitoring

ComplaintsIncidents

(Deaths,HMO,CSCI,Police)

Failure to comply with targets or

returns. Actions Agreed

Performance Panel Meetings

Serious

QAF Outcome 1

Outcome 2

Outcome 3

Outcome 4

Outcome 5

The Performance Overview

1

2

3

4

Interim Arrangements

• Incoming and outgoing providers will be expected to cooperate to ensure a seamless service provision during this time

• TUPE may well apply in some cases

• The expectation is to use SPOCC.net for the submission of invoices as well as performance management information

Supporting People - Technology

• Supporting People Systems

• Challenges faced

• Current SPOCC Database unable to handle payments in advance and arrears.

• No provision to manage 80/20 payment split.

• Requirement for hourly based workbooks.

• Development and testing of new bespoke SPOCC database.